Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law

Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law

Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law was founded as a private law school in 1834, making it the fifth oldest law school in the country and the oldest in Pennsylvania. It merged into Penn State University in 2000 and has operated as a separately accredited law school since 2014. Located in Carlisle, Penn., the law school is a springboard to nearby major legal markets and networking opportunities on the East Coast.

Dickinson Law offers an innovative curriculum that relies heavily on experiential learning. The first-year curriculum includes traditional courses that introduce students to the core doctrinal, theoretical and policy foundations of domestic, transnational and international law. The upper-level elective curriculum is organized around the substantive ways lawyers use their training. Dickinson Law students may pursue a certificate in Entrepreneurship Law, Government Affairs, or Litigation and Dispute Resolution; obtain a joint degree from a coordinate department of Penn State; or supplement their legal education withcross-disciplinarylearning by taking up to six credits from many of Penn State's graduate programs.

The stated mission of Penn State Law is to educate a diverse student body in the intellectual foundations, ethical principles, and practical skills necessary for success in today’s legal professions; to produce scholarship responsive to legal and social needs and foster a culture of service within the legal profession and society; and to contribute to the intellectual life and mission of The Pennsylvania State University.

The school earned a B+ for Best Value, thanks to strong employment rates and bar pass numbers.

Located near the state capital, the school is ranked No. 1 in the nation for Public service in government, based on employment outcomes and curricula. In 2017, 23.5 percent of graduates landed a government job. It also excels in placing students in judicial clerkships.

It is a top school for trial advocacy and alternative dispute resolution.

Dickinson Law graduates have included the nation's most distinguished attorneys, judges, government and corporate leaders, and legal educators.